Close to ten at night, the guests at the gathering began to leave one after another.

Lin Jie went to the study, turned on the computer, and brought up Tang You's medical examination information to go through it one by one.

After carefully reviewing it, he projected the 3D graphic of the deformed calf and foot bone created by the hospital technicians onto the large screen on the wall.

Lin Jie's gaze eventually settled on the severely deformed ankle joint, his brow furrowing into a knot...

Having finished freshening up, An Kexin came to the study and saw Lin Jie pacing back and forth in front of the large screen, murmuring, "Ajie, let's go to sleep. We can think about the patient's situation tomorrow."

Lin Jie said in distress, "Tomorrow morning, I need to discuss Tang You's correction plan with Dr. Lei Jun, and I still have no clue."

An Kexin glanced at the 3D graphic on the screen and asked, "Is this Tang You's leg and foot?"

Lin Jie nodded.

An Kexin looked at the image on the screen with pity and sympathy, "Ah, she must be in a lot of pain walking with this, poor thing."

Lin Jie shook his head and said, "She's already used to it, walking isn't painful, just inconvenient."

"She can't walk fast, can't run fast, and can't carry heavy loads."

"Because of the deformed leg and foot, Tang You's hip joints and lumbar vertebrae also show significant deformation."

An Kexin softly exclaimed, "Oh," and asked, "I guess the main difficulty in Tang You's corrective treatment is the ankle joint, right?"

"Yes, it is all about the ankle joint."

Lin Jie pointed to the deformed leg bone on the screen and explained, "The deformed leg bone, I can break it, straighten it out, and piece it back together, allowing it to heal into a nearly normal leg bone."

"The foot bone, deformed by years of walking awkwardly, I can also correct."

"It's just the ankle joint..."

Lin Jie tapped the ankle joint on the large screen with his fingers, painfully saying, "Tang You's ankle joint deformation is severe due to years of walking on the inner side, causing the joint surface between the tibia, fibula, and talus to deform significantly."

"Not only that, but the ligaments have also changed significantly."

"The posterior talotibial ligament, calcaneotibial ligament, tibionavicular ligament, and the anterior talotibial ligament located on her inner side compared to..."

Hearing this, An Kexin made a pained face and said, "Ajie, I don't understand this!"

Lin Jie lightly tapped his forehead and said, "I got too into it and just started babbling."

"To put it simply, the corrective difficulty is extremely high; it's very easy to ruin this ankle joint."

An Kexin took Lin Jie's arm and softly said, "If it's difficult, don't think too hard about it; it's easy to get stuck in a rut."

Her voice gentle, she said, "It's already quite late, let's go to sleep first."

"Once you've had some rest, maybe a good solution will come to you."

Lin Jie shook his head and smiled, "If only it were as simple as you say."

Seeing that it was already past eleven-thirty, he nodded, "Alright, let's go back to the room and sleep."

Lin Jie turned off the large screen, the computer, and the lights in the study, and went back to the bedroom with An Kexin.

After a dozen minutes, Lin Jie finished washing up, came out of the bathroom, and got into bed.

An Kexin cuddled over, leaning into his arms and softly said, "Ajie, should we ask someone to find out about the charity clinic organized by the Chinese Medical Association in the Sichuan Bamboo Sea?"

"No need to pay attention to them!"

Lin Jie decided, "Regardless of whether their intentions are good or bad, I will ultimately refuse this on the grounds of my health."

Seeing An Kexin's worried expression, he gently embraced her shoulders and patted her a few times.

"I know what you're worried about."

"The Chinese Medical Association is somewhat semi-official, and you're afraid I'll completely offend them."

Lin Jie snorted, "I neither seek honor nor play by their system, I don't need to please them, nor do I need to please anyone."

"I just want to be a doctor and do my research; can they strip away my medical qualification?"

"As the ancients said, 'without desire, one is strong,' there's a lot of truth to that."

Hearing this, An Kexin thought about it and realized it made sense.

Lin Jie has the capability to ignore them.

As for Anlin Hospital, in this small patch of land in Binhai, anyone thinking to make trouble for the hospital would really need to weigh their capabilities.

She recalled her father's advice.

Lin Jie's unmatched medical skills in the country are like nuclear weapons, not fearing any unspoken rules.

An Kexin pondered, realizing she does need to change her mindset.

She can't always worry about this or that, she needs to be confident.

Otherwise, constantly worrying, she'll age prematurely.

She's already several years older than Lin Jie; once she gets into her thirties...

An Kexin turned to look at Lin Jie's face, noticing how nice his skin looked, full of collagen, not inferior to her own despite all her efforts in upkeep.

This is the advantage of youth.

Thinking about this made her sad, and she asked, "Ajie, will there come a day when you dislike me for getting old and find someone younger and prettier?"

Lin Jie was a bit stunned.

Just discussing the matter with the Chinese Medical Association, how did it suddenly turn into this question with a sense of grievance?

An Kexin's way of thinking is a bit strange!

This question is both easy and difficult to answer. Lin Jie, not wanting to step into a trap, thought of a universal answer he saw online.

Between couples, there's nothing that can't be solved with sex.

If there is, then have sex twice.

Lin Jie decided to have sex first, trying to resolve it...

The next morning, Lin Jie was treated to a loving breakfast prepared by An Kexin, who got up early.

Congee, boiled eggs, milk, bread, jam, plus ready-to-eat pickles, and large chunks of cooked meat.

This breakfast, a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, tasted quite nice with the addition of love.

Just after breakfast, a guest arrived at the house.

It was Jiang Liangyu, who also lived in this apartment building.

Seeing that his potbelly was gone, Lin Jie knew he must have been having a hard time recently.

His ex-wife painstakingly tried to harm his current wife but accidentally injured his own son instead. That must be terribly frustrating.

Lin Jie thought, he must be deeply guilty as well.

Speaking of which, Jiang Liangyu certainly should bear a lot of responsibility for this unfortunate outcome.

"Dr. Lin, today is the day of the court sentencing."

Jiang Liangyu said in a calm voice: "Xue Xinlan deeply regrets and is very sorry for accidentally hurting the child."

"She really wants to know if the child's injuries can fully recover in the end."

Lin Jie, after reviewing the latest medical report on the child, frankly said: "Just like I told you before, the other injuries are manageable, but the severe muscle loss in the thigh is a major concern."

"The latest tests also show important nerve damage, with symptoms of nerve atrophy and degeneration in the leg."

"With this, complete recovery becomes even more difficult."

"And cultivating transplanted muscle fibers takes at least ten years, plus there's no guarantee that the transplant surgery will ensure complete recovery due to nerve involvement."

"I understand."

Jiang Liangyu sighed heavily, saying: "Only now do I realize the immense pain I've caused Xue Xinlan, the depth of her wounds."

"Back then, we got married out of true love and had a few years of happiness."

"It was only later..."

He said with a regretful expression: "I could have handled things better. Perhaps even after a divorce, we could have remained friends. But I messed it all up."

"This must be karma. Dr. Lin, you must take heed from my experience."

This piece of advice, Lin Jie didn't like to hear at all, as if implying he would fall in love with someone else in the future.

Listening quietly on the side, An Kexin asked with a smile: "Do you know how many years the sentence might be?"

With a grim expression, Jiang Liangyu said: "Although Xue Xinlan confessed to the crime without reservation and actively offered compensation, the court deemed it a long-planned action with malicious methods, likely resulting in a heavy sentence."

"The defense lawyer said the sentence might be around ten years..."

When Lin Jie arrived at the office of the Affiliated Hospital, he noticed Lei Jun was already waiting for him in the corridor with a 3D-printed model of the deformed leg bone and foot bone.

"Expert Lin, these past two days, I've been pondering over this corrective scheme,"

Lei Jun hurried over and said: "The deformity correction of the leg bone can be done using your net method, enclosing the fragmented bones to form them back into a normal shape."

"The deformity of the foot bone is relatively easier to adjust."

"The only difficulty is with the ankle joint. Over these past two days, after much consideration, I realized that with my skills, the best I can do is replace it with an artificial ankle joint."

He followed into the office and expectantly asked: "Expert Lin, you must have come up with a refreshing or surprising innovative idea, right?"

Lin Jie turned to him and seriously said: "Dr. Lei, if that's what you think, you're bound to be disappointed."

"This time, I don't have any particularly novel ideas."

"The only method I've thought of is to surgically peel off the cartilage layers and periosteum of each joint surface, and then precisely grind the bones."

"Using this simplest yet also most tedious method, restore the ankle joint to its desired shape!"

Lei Jun was momentarily stunned and couldn't help saying: "This method is indeed the simplest, but it is also the most challenging, serving as the ultimate test of a doctor's skills and experience."

"In the case of someone like Tang You, simulating the final shape of the bone ends is incredibly difficult, relying on experience. A slight mismatch could lead to incongruous joint surfaces, resulting in limited activity and severe pain."

"Moreover, such surgery is prone to bone membrane necrosis and cartilage damage."

"If periosteum necrosis occurs, inflammation and bacterial invasion could pose a critical threat to the patient's life."

"And cartilage damage, once it occurs, is hard to heal and could cause lifelong pain for the patient."

Looking at Lin Jie, Lei Jun hesitantly said: "Expert Lin, I know I shouldn't doubt your abilities."

"But I can't help feeling this is a risky endeavor!"

Lin Jie nodded and said: "Dr. Lei, I am indeed taking a risk."

"Aside from replacing the ankle joint with an artificial one, this is the only solution I've come up with."

"An artificial ankle can't enable the patient to run, jump, and move freely like an ordinary person, but if my proposed method succeeds, it will be a true success."

"This method, although simple, is the most challenging and the most effective solution. I want to give it a try!"

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